Meet the City Attorney Staff
Sky Woodruff, City Attorney
For over 20 years, Sky Woodruff has served as a trusted advisor to local agencies both as general counsel and as special counsel on elections and tax, fee, and assessment matters. As a city attorney, Sky and his team collaborate with clients on day-to-day local government operations, as well as complex, high-stakes issues that map the future of a community. He has worked with cities, counties, and special districts on dozens of ballot measures to raise revenue, set land use policy, protect public health, and regulate industry. Local government officials and consultants regularly seek his advice to identify options for enhancing revenue and protecting existing revenues against challenges.
Sky approaches his work as a member of client teams, attempting to understand their goals, identifying and strategizing about risks, and communicating the highest quality legal analysis to achieve desired outcomes. Serving as city attorney for a diverse range of cities, Sky has helped new cities chart their initial course and established cities plan for the future through land use and finance. He has focused on revenue enhancement and stability, economic development, and housing and commercial development in line with each community’s character. He has negotiated deals and processed land use approvals, while collaborating on long-range plans for financing significant infrastructure projects to meet the needs of future residents and businesses.
As elections counsel, Sky has advised local governments on agency-sponsored ballot measures, local recalls, and citizens’ initiatives and referendums — including all forms of taxes, land use policy, water fluoridation, solid waste franchises, internal government organization, and roadway design policies. As a member of litigation teams, he has defeated a referendum to stop the 49ers stadium; defended Oakland’s “strong mayor” charter amendments; protected decisions about contracting for services; and represented Alameda County in a high-profile election contest.
Sky serves as City Attorney for South San Francisco, El Cerrito, and Larkspur, and as General Counsel for Regional Government Services Authority. A frequent presenter on local government elections and revenue topics, he was also among the authors of the 2017 comprehensive update of the Proposition 26 and 218 Implementation Guide, published by CalCities.
Lindsay D'Andrea, Assistant City Attorney 
Lindsay D’Andrea serves as General Counsel for the Tri-Valley Transportation Council and Assistant General Counsel for the Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission, Ventura County Transportation Commission, and the Sunol Smart Carpool Lane Authority. She also serves as special counsel to the Alameda County Transportation Commission and San Francisco County Transportation Authority. In addition, Lindsay serves as Assistant City Attorney for the cities of Walnut Creek and South San Francisco.
Lindsay has a special expertise and interest in transportation agency work and issues. She has significant experience representing public agencies on transit-oriented and large-scale campus development projects, including negotiating and drafting development agreements and purchase and sale agreements. She also has substantial experience and expertise in public contracting and procurement; transportation funding issues and associated agreements; land acquisition, disposition, and entitlement; the California Public Records Act; the Mitigation Fee Act, the Brown Act, and the California Environmental Quality Act.
She has advised her clients on updates of organizational documents, conflict of interest codes, and interagency agreements, including preparation of JPA and administrative code amendments, and form cooperative agreements.
Claire Lai, Assistant City Attorney 
Claire S. Lai is Senior Of Counsel in Redwood Public Law and currently serves as Assistant City Attorney for the City of South San Francisco, City of Walnut Creek, and Town of Los Altos Hills, as well as the General Counsel for Graton Community Services District and the Oro Loma Sanitary District. She also serves as Assistant General Counsel for the SSF Conference Center Authority and Santa Cruz Regional Transportation Commission. Additionally, Claire serves as supporting counsel for the San Diego Countywide Oversight Board and the North County Library Authority.
Claire advises cities and special districts on a wide range of municipal and public law issues. Her areas of focus include land use, telecommunications, housing, public contracts, the Brown Act, and the Public Records Act. In her practice, Claire assists cities and regional agencies with navigating state housing laws and adopting local development regulations; procuring and managing public works projects; and considering land use and CEQA issues in urban developments. Additionally, Claire regularly counsels public agencies on real property transactions and prepares purchase and sale agreements, leases, and other disposition documents. Claire also advises public agencies on unique legal areas such as redevelopment agency dissolution law, the Surplus Land Act, and federal and state public utilities regulations.
From her background serving as Deputy County Counsel at the Merced County Counsel’s Office and Interim Deputy City Attorney at the Milpitas City Attorney’s Office, Claire further brings valuable first-hand experience to our public law clients. While in law school, Claire was a Judicial Extern in the Pro Se Department of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco and a law clerk in the Appeals, Writs and Trial Section of the California Attorney General’s Office.
Schuyler Schwartz, Assistant City Attorney
Schuyler Schwartz is an Associate at Redwood Public Law and provides advice and counsel to cities, counties and special districts of all types throughout the state.
She currently serves as Assistant City Attorney for the City of South San Francisco and El Cerrito, as well as supporting counsel for the City of Walnut Creek, and Town of Los Altos Hills, among other public agencies throughout California.
Prior to Redwood Public Law, Schuyler worked as an attorney for the California State Water Resources Control Board where she advised the Department of Financial Assistance on funding for drinking water and clean water projects. Her experience includes reviewing compliance documents, PRA requests, and CEQA/NEPA documents. Additionally, she drafted loan, grant, and Installment Sale Agreements with cities, counties, schools, special districts, and Native American tribes.
Schuyler graduated from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings College of the Law) in 2020. While in law school, Schuyler focused on Environmental Justice and Water Law through coursework and externships. For her undergraduate degree, she attended Lewis & Clark College and graduated in 2015 with a B.S. in Environmental Studies and a B.A. in French Studies.
Kimia Malhallati, Associate
Kimia Mahallati is an Associate at Redwood Public Law and provides advice and counsel to cities, counties and special districts on a broad range of matters involving environmental, water law and land use litigation.
Prior to joining the firm, Kimia worked as an Associate at a boutique law firm in San Francisco with a focus on environmental law. Her unique background includes serving as Board Member for the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center, where she negotiated contractual agreements and liability waivers for parties providing services to MSBEC, grant-making entities, and volunteers.
Her experience also includes researching and advising on CEQA, APA, and zoning and housing ordinance matters and reviewing settlement agreements as an Extern for the California Coastal Commission in San Francisco.
While in law school, Kimia served as Senior Editor for Hastings Environmental Law Journal, and Board Member for the Women of Color Collective and the Iranian Law Students Association.
Contact Us
City Attorney's Office
400 Grand Ave.
South San Francisco, CA 94080
Ph:(650) 877-8515
Fx: (415) 421-3767